Người theo dõi

Thứ Năm, 28 tháng 4, 2011

larified butter or ghee is used extensively in India and other South Asian cuisines. Also, practically any Hindu religious ritual is incomplete without the use of ghee. It has a lovely rich and nutty flavor, and enhances the flavor and taste of anything that it is added to. Ghee, as the English version of its name 'clarified-butter' suggests, is prepared from butter. How is butter made? Well, from cream; and cream is made from milk. In this post, I pick it up from store-bought cream and make my own butter and then turn it magically into ghee! You can choose to pick up directly from butter or if you are a little more adventurous than me (like my mom is), then you might as well pick up from milk and gather your own cream. Back in India my mom always prepares Ghee from scratch. She used to collect the cream daily off the milk brought by the doodhwallahs/door-to-door milk vendors, until the container with cream was full and ready to be made into Ghee.

The process behind it is quite magical (scientific for those who understand how these things work chemically). As you churn it with a whisk, cream which otherwise is a runny liquid, changes to a frothy texture. This happens rather quickly, what we popularly know as whipped cream. Now if you be patient and keep at it, after enough whisking, the buttermilk separates from the cream and behold you have butter!

Unsalted butter is slowly brought to a boil upon which the milk solids separate from the clarified butter.

Thứ Tư, 27 tháng 4, 2011

ineapple filled mini bundts! Cute as a button, light and fluffy with the slight hint of citrusy orange and freshness of pineapple in every bite - A sweet n refreshing pure spring- summer time treat!

I go for a light breakfast especially on weekdays. Be it a bowl of cereal or oatmeal or a quick sliced bread sandwich with some fruits and veggies. To keep things interesting, I always find myself looking for ways to come up with interesting but light and yet 'breakfasty' recipes. I have found that a light muffin or a light fruit bread comes really handy.

Here's a recipe for homemade pineapple mini cakes that I made in my adorable mini bundt pan and which can be very easily made in a muffin pan if you don't have a mini bundt pan. It was really liked by hubby and my princess alike. It is mildly sweet, has a distinct taste of pineapples and is extremely light that makes it just right for breakfast. I love baking with different fruits and this one sure is a keeper.

Thứ Hai, 25 tháng 4, 2011

oftas especially fascinate me as somehow I relate them to exotic curries. Unfortunately though Indian restaurants in the US (atleast the ones I have been to) more often than not fail to do a good job in making kofta dishes (and most others too). They are either not seasoned appropriately or overly laden with cream and butter. Hubby and I both love koftas so I prefer to make it myself. Me being me, I use no cream, very little oil and I have given an option to alternatively bake the koftas rather than deep fry them. I totally admire them. To me they are exotic with the different layers as they unfold when you bite into them. Simmered into a spicy and creamy gravy simply makes them irresistible.A little general knowledge doesn't hurt, here's some about koftas- Kofta orkufteh, köfte, keftes, kufta, ćufta… have a heavy presence over various cuisines in the South Asian sub continent. They are essentially the distant cousins of American meat balls. The concept of the kofta is that a ground form of particular ingredients are mixed with various spices (according to what herbs and spices are predominantly available in that country) and rolled into a certain shape. Now, they are usually rolled into spherical shapes but in some Arab counties they are shaped rather like long kebabs, therefore the concept obviously varies according to where it is being made. Kofta can be fried, steamed, grilled or baked according to what ingredients you added to the mix. Vegetarian koftas are also very popular especially in India and different vegetables like bottle gourd, cabbage, potato other mixed vegetables are used and of course the very much liked ingredients by us veggies the evergreen Paneer!

Thứ Sáu, 22 tháng 4, 2011

s the weather warms up, if you are craving for something cold, bright, crisp and refreshing, this is the drink for you! Pretty, very girly - romantic and glamorous and a color that is to die for. This drink always leaves an impression. The fabulous flavor of fresh juicy strawberries riding over the base of refreshing citrusy lemons with a twist of basil infused syrup, this drink has the taste that you will want to remember and come back often to.

A wonderful thirst quencher on a hot summer day or any day for that matter. Strawberry lemonade makes for a delicious party drink or for just a casual get together.

In a mixing bowl add maida, salt and soda mix all the dry ingredients add yogurt and mix well the batter must be in dropping consistency.

Add the coconut, chillies and pepper corns to the batter mix well and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

Heat oil in a wok mix the batter once before preparing baje using your hand take some baje batter in your fingers and gently drop in oil in 2mins the baje will puffup gently turn the baje and fry till cooked and serve hot with chutney...Enjoy...:)

Coconut Chutney:

Ingredients:

1/3 Cup Fresh Coconut

3-4 Tbsp Roasted Bengal gram

2 Chillies

Small Piece Tamarind

2 Cloves Garlic

1 Tsp Mustard Seeds

1 Pinch Asafoetida

2 Tsp Oil

Salt to taste.

In a mixer jar add the coconut, chillies, garlic, tamarind and bengal gram with salt and grind well add water if needed grind to a fine paste.

Now those baje's are inviting on a musti rainy day...If you do not like spicy baje you can add sugar insteed of chillies and pepper and make sweet baje kids will like it...sweet baje must be served with honey mom used to make this for breakfast itself...do you know why its called goli baje???? if you know why its called goli baje then post a comment I would love to hear from you...:P

Thứ Tư, 20 tháng 4, 2011

ast night I was officially declared food crazy by hubby. We had dinner, tucked our little one into bed, watched some TV and then as we were getting ready to call it a night, this crazy idea struck me. God help me, it was almost close to midnight but I had to make these buns that would be stuffed with pizza sauce and pizza toppings. I call them pizza buns not sure if such a thing even exist. With much excitement I explained the recipe to poor hubby who listened to me with his jaw dropped to the floor. I could see him calling me crazy in the back of his head - not that I cared at the time - I just had to make it. I am sure some of my readers will identify with me (please say yes, its very important for the self-affirmation of my sanity :)Anyway, believe it or not, the project took a little over an hour and by some insanely ungodly hour we were standing in the middle of the kitchen enjoying the pizza buns. I was so tired I don't even remember what they tasted like but hubby tells me they were awesome as he ate a couple (and he never eats anything that late).Read more »

Thứ Hai, 18 tháng 4, 2011

uscious plump strawberries so aptly represent the spring and summer in my opinion. Nature at its prime, vibrant and full while the strawberries are gorgeously plump, red, sweet and juicy, a delightful treat for the eyes and taste buds alike. The bright sunshine, the blooms and the flowers make you feel good and admire nature and so is the sight of the red strawberries which are to be seen everywhere. My shopping baskets get filled with the bright reds every time I visit the stores – they are irresistible (and also very cheap lol:)) And so as you have guessed I have been making a lot of things with these beauties lately and this is the first in the series - a stunning pink and delightfully yummy strawberry ice-cream.Read more »

Thứ Tư, 13 tháng 4, 2011

have a met a lot of pasta lovers and very few haters - as far as I am concerned I am neutral - I don't hate it neither it is one of my most favorite. My daughter on the other hand (who is fussiest eater around) is notorious for her love of pasta. Even her preschool teacher complains she doesn't eat anything but pasta. She even went on to suggest we change her menu plan to pasta everyday at school! Hubby well- he is not fond of pasta- so the scene at home is I make pasta mac n cheese to be precise almost every single day at home for the kiddo but never really make pasta for ourselves. That probably is the reason why I have only one pasta dish on my blog. We don't even order a pasta dish when we go out to eat. Last Sunday evening I was in no mood to cook two seperate meals for us so I tried to make hubby like the pasta by making this dish with Indian tandoori spices and roasted bell pepper sauce - hubby loved it and even the kiddo enjoyed a more adult version with mushrooms and peas. When I started making it, the only thing I knew was that I wanted a tandoori flavored pasta. I decided on other ingredients as I went along. My head mostly went like - hey why not add some basil, how about some walnuts, mushrooms are always welcome and peppers and peas of course... you get the idea. The al-dente pasta with the unmistakable flavors of the tandoori masala in the yummy red pepper sauce with basil and the perfect bite of peas and mushrooms to keep things interesting texturally.

Grate both the cheese using a cheese grater add chat masala little bit salt chillies and coriander leafs mix well cover and allow to rest.

Prepare Paratha:

Take medium and equal size roundels cheese mixture and the dough dip the dough into extra flour mixture using a rolling pin start flattening the edges of the dough place the cheese mixture in the middle and fold cover the filling inside.

Dip filled dough ball into extra flour before rolling out roll out the paratha.

Heat a skillet or tava start frying the paratha flip the paratha to either sides add oil while frying...serve hot with lime pickle and salad...Enjoy...:)

This recipe is from a local television cooking series mom enjoys watching...I love this paratha we did our own changes with the cheese filling i did 2 mistake in the recipe i should have finely chopped the chillies and also added mint leafs just like mom...dont forget to add both the ingredients if you prepare this recipe its very nice for brunch just one paratha is so filling.

Thứ Hai, 11 tháng 4, 2011

umbai is famous around the world as the center of Indian cinema "Bollywood", what some do not know that it is also famous for its array of mouth watering street foods especially the chaats available at every street corner. Juhu beach, especially is the most famous hub - a very crowded place where you often find yourself wading through a sea of people with the sound of the waves crashing in the background often looking for the next yummy food stall that gets your attention among the numerous street food vendors lined up. No trip to this beach is complete without having those delectable chaats they serve there and possibly a healthy dose of pani poories, vada pav, batata, bhel. Watching the vendors mix up the ingredients and cook up your snack to order with sheer abandon - without a care in the world, while keeping a keen eye for anyone who needs that extra little chutney, is a pleasure by itself. These street foods have crossed boundries of the city (and even the country) and are found practically everywhere there is Indian food sold.Pav Bhaji is another such road-side delicacy. It is a very easy and a kind of street food that is a wholesome meal in itself and relatively healthier (if you minus all the amul butter of course). It is basically kind of a stew a mix of different vegetables in a spicy tomato gravy with loads of butter and eaten with butter soaked pav bread which is used scoop up the bhaji--yum :) This is even served at fancy restaurants and even top chefs boast of having this in their repertoire. A great one pot meal especially with the overload of vegetables in it. Fussy eaters like it and eat up all the veggies mixed in the yummy bhaji.Usually paneer is not used as an ingredient in the bhaji. I decided to try it out with it. After-all if you saw my Paneer Tawa Masala, when you can mix pav bhaji masala in paneer, why not mix paneer in pav bhaji - makes sense, right? It did to me and it made an already awesome dish abso'freaking'lutely fanstastic. If it was any proof for me, hubby said this is how pav bhaji was gonna be made in this household henceforth, with paneer!

Here's the recipe for my homemade Pav buns.The traditional pav bread as it is called ladi pav in India is a yeasty crusty bread with a soft texture inside. You can use the store bought dinner rolls but I prefer this homemade one.

Thanks to Badshah sir our local butcher he gave me the best mince meat and extra fat as per my request...:)Lets Prepare:

In a mixer jar add all the ingredients leaving the meat out grind to a smooth paste with out adding water. to the ground masala add the meat in batches and grind to a smooth paste reserve in a bowl.

Mix the ground meat well check for salt add salt and chilly powder if needed mix well cover and allow to marinate in the fridge for 3 hours.

After 3 hrs remove from fridge bring to room temp.

Heat a wide and heavy bottom pan with 3 tbsp oil wet your hands with water take a small portion of the meat and form sausages place in hot oil cover and gently keep turning till all sides turn brown you can use squers and grill them in the oven or brabacue...serve hot with mint or mango chutney...Enjoy...:)

Add all the ingredients to a mixer jar and grind to a smooth paste do not add water while grinding instead of water add yogurt serve with any grill meat its super...:)

Try Preparing this recipe with 500 grams of meat and half amount of ingredients listed above your family will appreciate your efforts...best recipe for summer party.... my dad loves seekh kababs so much I have to prepare a batch once every month...1 kilo of seekh kababs will last only for couple of days at my house we love this with roti and onion salad...:)